First, I want to thank everyone for the nice comments on my Fair post the other day--especially the lurkers who came out of hiding! :-)
I've been extremely busy with my business in the last few weeks, which is a blessing, but I'm just barely keeping my head above water. We're going on a much-needed vacation Saturday (with my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, and my in-laws. . . sure to be a true Griswold family adventure!) but that puts the pressure on getting stuff done before we leave. Family blogging has just been at the bottom of the list, but it's something I love doing. I love knowing that I'm preserving our history and story for our boys.
And looking at this picture made me decide it was worth losing 15 minutes of sleep to preserve some history.
If a Genie appeared and told me I could bottle Benjamin up and keep him this age forever, I just might take him up on the offer. 14 months old is fun, and loving, and curious, and sweet. He's past the fussy baby stage, he's got the whole sleep-through-the-night and napping thing down, he can eat just about any food, he keeps himself entertained (but loves to play along with you, too). He hasn't developed any of the attitude that his 3-year-old brother displays on an hourly basis. He's starting to say words and use signs and understands most of what I tell him. And that adorable little new-walker-toddle is almost too much. He's just so fun!
I remember as Hayden grew I kept thinking, "this is the best age yet." In fact, I think if you were to pour through the archives of this blog you'll see that I remarked that with just about every monthly age update! With Ben, having already gone through all the stages with Hayden, there were definitely times in the first year that I couldn't wait to get through. Don't get me wrong, I love him and love watching him develop and grow. But when he couldn't sit up and the only thing that made him happy was hanging out on my hip, I was eager for him to grow up a bit and develop the skills to sit.
Now, though, 14 months old seems just about perfect. I definitely enjoy my 3-year-old, but I'll be honest, I want to ring his neck at least half a dozen times a day. But at least another half dozen times I just have to walk on over and give him a great big hug because he's just done or said the most amazing/insightful/clever/funny/cute thing ever. It's a roller coaster, for sure. But Benjamin, he's just sweet. There's no hint of sass or brattiness or attitude.
There's a bit of bitter sweetness in it all, though. When Hayden was at this age, I loved it, but I was still eager to see what was coming next. Yes, Benjamin is a different person, but I know firsthand at least some of what's going to come next, because every kid goes through it to some extent. And I just wish he could keep that innocence and sweetness and tantrum-free point-of-view indefinitely. I will certainly miss it!
Finally, I just have to document what I see when I look at that photo that brings up all these feelings. . . he's climbing out of a box (or trying to, at least) that he was so excited to have discovered on one of his laps around the kitchen. He was so proud of himself for climbing in all by himself. Those cute little shortie pajamas that sort of make him look like a big kid (but not too big). The happy and slightly mischievous little grin. The bruised legs and arms, from his no-fear, explore the world attitude (which inevitably leads to some stumbles). The wispy baby curl sticking out from behind his ear that is looking straggly but that I just can't bring myself to cut. The shiny-with-snot upper lip that he always seems to have these days. And those bright eyes, already looking onto the next thing to discover and laugh with and love.
